Could Have Been
by crimstide93
Summary: Prue and Andy's daughter is given the opportunity to see what life could have been like with her parents, but with two younger brothers and her parents around, things get complicated. Then add death and teenage drama, things get very complicated.
1. Chapter 1

Could Have Been

Chapter One

Paige Matthews stood outside her oldest niece's bedroom door, her hands shaking with nervousness. Paige could think of a thousand other things she would rather be doing, dying was included on the list. But she knew that she had to do this, no matter how much she didn't want to.

So, she slowly extended her shaking hand and knocked on her niece's door. "Mady, can I come in?" Paige asked, waiting for her nice to reply.

"Yeah," came the soft reply a few seconds later. Possibly shaking more, Paige reached for the doorknob and opened Mady's door. Paige entered and then closed the door behind her. Mady lay on her bed, her back to the door and Paige.

Paige watched her for a few seconds and could tell by the way her niece's thin body was shaking, that she had been and probably still was crying. Paige took a few calming breaths, her maternal instincts quickly taking over. Paige quickly slipped onto Mady's bed, behind Mady and pulled her into her arms.

Paige cradled Mady close to her as Mady finally released her sobs, into Paige's shoulder. "Shh." Paige soothed the distraught girl, Mady attempted to talk, but her words came out in broken and jumbled syllables. "Save your breath Sweetie, it's ok, there's no need to talk."

Mady nodded her head, but continued to sob. Paige carefully rubbed her niece's back, soothing her and slowly silencing her sobs. But not stopping her tears. Paige then looked down at her niece, debating on whether or not this is was the right time to talk to her niece.

"What?" Mady asked grumpily and Paige shrugged her shoulders.

"I have a proposal for you?" Paige replied to her niece's one syllable question.

"What kind of proposal? Does it include ice cream?" Paige chuckled and shook her head. "What kind of proposal is it then?"

"One that may be a little hard to hear?" Mady crinkled her nose, a sign of skepticism and dislike. "Don't give me that face. Just listen for a few seconds and if you don't like what I'm going to say, that's fine too."

"Fine." Mady mumbled, closing her mouth and waiting for her aunt to continue. Paige gulped and looked away from her niece's curious stare.

"Um...the Elder's have been thinking for the last few years, about giving you a very rare opportunity." Paige looked back at Mady, who had the same crinkled nose expression, plastered on her face yet again. "They want to give you the opportunity to see what your life could have been like, if you had been given the chance to grow up and be raised by both of your parents."

"I don't know Aunt Paige?"

"I know Sweetie, just listen for a few more seconds." Mady fell silent again, watching and waiting for Paige to continue.

"You'll go with all of your memories of this world and gain all of the ones from that life and live that life, until you feel that you've learned enough to come home. Wyatt would go with you and so would I, but I would be your Whitelighter."

"I don't know Aunt Paige. What if I never feel like I'm ready to come home? What if I can't handle being around my Mom and Dad?"

"Those are questions that only taking this journey can answer. But it's up to you and Piper, Phoebe and I are going to support you in what ever choice you make." Mady nodded her head and fell silent, obviously thinking.

"I want to go." Mady whispered after a few seconds.

"Ok Sweetie. Let's go get Wyatt and then we'll go." Mady nodded her head and let Paige help her to her feet and lead her out into the hallway.

"We're going." Wyatt stated spotting his cousin's nervous, yet excited face. Paige nodded her head, rested her hand on her nephew's shoulder and orbed them away, knowing they would land in the alternate reality.

Andy Trudeau rolled out of bed, early one Monday morning, being careful to not wake his still slumbering wife. He headed from their hall and down the hall, to wake their daughter and then grab his dark blue blazer from the closet where his wife had hung it after picking it up from the dry cleaners. Reaching his daughter's bedroom, he opened her door and flipped her light on.

"Come on Mady, time to get up!" Andy said Mady shook her head, not opening her eyes. "Yep, five minutes or else I get to use all your hot water." That usually would instantly pull Mady from her bed, but not this morning, so Andy tried to another approach.

"I'm going downstairs to grab my blue jacket and I expect you to be up when I get back up here." Mady shook her head again, flipped her light switch down her telekinesis and rolled over, turning her back to her father and the open door.

Andy furrowed his brows in concern, knowing that something was up with his daughter. He headed downstairs and grabbed his blazer and then headed right back upstairs. Mady was curled in the same position when he appeared in her doorway, so Andy walked down the hall, deciding to wake his wife and let her deal with stubborn Mady.

"Prue," Andy whispered in his wife's ear. "I think you should go check on Mady, something's up." Prue rolled onto her back and looked at Andy.

"What do you mean?" Prue asked, stretching her arms above her head and sitting up.

"She's not getting up."

"She's fifteen, a Halliwell and it's Monday. Can you blame her?"

"She may sleep like a Halliwell, but she does mornings like a Trudeau."

"I know, I know. Let me go see what's up." Prue slipped from their bed, grabbing her robe and wrapping it around her as she exited their room. Prue slowly moved down the hallway and pushed her daughter's mostly closed door open.

"Hey Bumblebee, why aren't you out of bed?" Prue asked, heading over to her daughter's bed and sitting down next to the lump hiding under the blankets that was Mady. Mady mumbled a string of incoherent nothingness, Prue pulled the blankets away from her daughter.

"Are you feeling ok?" Mady shook her head and Prue sighed. "What's the matter?"

"Everything hurts." Mady groaned and Prue reached out to rest her hand on Mady's forehead. Prue pulled back a few seconds later, shocked at the high fever racking her daughter's body.

"You're not going anywhere today. You want to go back to sleep, while I get your Dad and brother's out the door?" Prue asked running her hands through Mady's thick, dark hair, Mady nodded her head.

"Hurry up, please?" Mady whispered looking at her Mom.

"Of course I will." Prue whispered, pulling Mady's blankets up to her chin and placing a kiss on her daughter's fevered temple.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Prue stood in the doorway of Mady's room, watching her for a few seconds after Andy had taken their two boys out for dinner and were going to bring Prue something back. Mady had been asleep for most of the day and had fallen asleep again only a few minutes earlier, at this point Prue was predicting that Mady would sleep for the night, if she didn't get worse.

Satisfied that Mady was ok for the time being, Prue reached for her doorknob and almost completely shut her door, leaving it open a few inches so that if she did wake up she would be heard. Prue then headed down stairs to pick the house up, making it look at least somewhat presentable. About that time, Andy and their two boys came through the front door.

"Mommy!" Five-year-old Caleb shouted running at Prue and wrapping his arms around her legs.

"Hey Buddy." Prue said, picking him up. "How was dinner?"

"Guess what I had?" Caleb asked, his green eyes sparkling.

"I don't know. Pizza?"

"Nope. A huge hamburger!" Caleb held his hands apart for emphasis and Prue laughed.

"That big, really? What did you get me for dinner?" Prue looked over at Andy who held a few take out boxes.

"A BLT, like you requested and Piper sent us some chicken noodle soup home for Mady." Andy said heading towards the kitchen, leaving Prue with her two boys.

"So Logan, what did you have for dinner?" Prue asked settling on the couch with Caleb. Eight-year-old Logan sat down with them, wearing the same mischievous look his little brother had a few minutes earlier.

"A steak." Logan replied and Prue looked at him, surprised.

"Dad let you have a steak?"

"Yup."

"Did you eat it all?" Logan shook his head and Prue was slightly relieved. "So boys, what movie should we watch tonight?"

"Spiderman!" Logan shouted and Prue sighed.

"I don't think so buddy. How about National Treasure?"

"Yeah!" Caleb said happily, Logan sat and thought for a few seconds then nodded his head in agreement.

"Ok, go upstairs and get in your pajamas, but be quiet, Mady's asleep."

"Ok Mommy." Caleb said solemnly as he followed Logan up the stairs. Andy reappeared in the living room, a glass of Diet Coke and Prue's sandwich and fries in hand.

Andy handed them to Prue and then settled onto the couch with Prue. "So you and the boys are going to watch National Treasure?" He asked and Prue nodded her head, then his comment hit her.

"Wait, where are you going to be?" Prue asked looking at him, Andy smiled at her guiltily. "You have to go into work? Tonight, seriously?" Andy nodded his head.

"Darryl called during dinner, we have a new case and I need to go in and check things over and make sure the scene can be cleared."

"When do you think you'll be home?"

"Two or three in the morning."

"You better go tell the boys and check on Mady for me." Prue said softly. Andy nodded his head, kissed her and then headed up the stairs. Andy checked on Mady first, since he had only talked to her once and she had slept most of the time he was home.

Mady was still sleeping soundly, not that Andy was complaining, the more sleep she got the better. He sat down on Mady's bed, placed his cool hand on her still very hot forehead and then leaned down to kiss her. He pulled the blankets up over Mady and then went to tell the boys goodbye.

"You two be good for Mom tonight, you hear me." Andy said to both boys a few minutes later.

"Why do you have to go to work?" Logan asked grumpily.

"Because I need to catch the bad guys." Andy replied, Caleb looked to him confused.

"I thought that's what Mommy did."

"She does, but she catches the magical bad guys. I catch regular bad guys."

"Oh. But who's going to read my story to me?"

"Mommy can do that."

"But she doesn't do all the voices like you and Mady." Andy chuckled and looked over at Prue.

"I bet if you ask Mommy, really super nicely, she'll do all the voices."

"I'll help too." Logan promised his younger brother, who seemed satisfied with this answer.

"I'll come in and check on you when I get home, ok boys."

"Ok!" Logan and Caleb said in unison, hugging Andy tightly around the neck. And kissed Prue one more time and then headed out the door.

"Boys, I'm going to run upstairs and tell Mady where I am and change in my pajamas and then I'll be right back." Prue said climbing up off the couch. She hurried upstairs.

Prue opened Mady's door for what seemed like the billionth time that day, realizing the last thing she really needed to do was check on her, so she just went and changed. Then headed back to the family room, where Logan had already started National Treasure.

Prue settled onto the couch and Caleb settled into her lap. They only made it as far as where Ben and Riley met Abigail for the first time, before Caleb saw his older sister standing in the doorway, watching them.

"Mady!" Caleb cheered happily. Mady smiled at her youngest brother and headed over to the couch. She somehow manage to squeeze herself between the back of the couch and Prue's right side, snuggling under the large blanket Caleb had gotten for himself and Prue a few minutes earlier.

"Are you feeling better?" Caleb asked, now ignoring the movie. He placed his tiny hand on Mady's still warm forehead and then looked at Prue. "She still feels hot." Caleb exclaimed and Prue rested her hand on Mady's forehead.

"Yeah, but not as hot as before. So she's getting better." Prue reassured Caleb. "Right Mady?" Prue then asked, positive that Caleb wouldn't believe her.

"Yeah, I'm feeling lots better," Mady said and Prue doubted that was the case. Mady rested her head on Prue's shoulder and looked at her youngest brother. "If I'm not feeling even better tomorrow, guess what?"

"What?" Caleb asked, getting excited.

"You and I can hang out all day and watch movies. I'm gonna need my favorite little brother to take care of me and help me get better. You think you're up to the job?"

"Of course!" Caleb said seriously, using his mother's favorite phrase and making it sound cute, only like a five-year-old could.

"What about me?" Logan asked from his spot on the floor.

"Well Caleb and I can't do it all by ourselves." Mady stated and Logan nodded his head.

"Just don't get me sick." He then stated turning back to the movie. Prue chuckled at her children's antics as they finished and all three fell silent to watch the movie for around the hundredth time.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"Mom!" Mady whined at breakfast a few days later.

"I'm not completely convinced that you're 100 percent better." Prue replied, pulling her hand off of Mady's forehead.

Mady sighed and glared at her Mother. "I feel fine. And it's not like I can miss all of these test that I have today." Mady grumbled and it was Prue's turn to sigh.

"Ok, you can go to school. But you feel the slight bit sick and you call me and I'll come and get you."

"Ok Mom. Now I have to go get ready if I want to catch a ride with Ty." Mady pushed her chair back from the table and practically ran upstairs.

Mady slipped from her pajamas and into the jeans, tanktop and matching jacket that had been flung over the back of her chair for nearly a week. The then pulled her hair back in a low ponytail, put a light coating of makeup and ran back downstairs.

Just to please Prue, Mady slipped into a thick, fall jacket and then grabbed her backpack and raced to the kitchen. "Bye Mom!" Mady said racing out the side door, reaching her neighbor, best friend and boyfriend's car at the same time he was.

"Hey Ty." Mady said casually, leaning against the driver's door.

"Mady?" Ty asked seeming shocked and Mady wondered how much he had talked to her Mom while she had been sick.

"You're still willing to give me a ride to school, aren't you?" Mady teased and Ty nodded his head and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"You're all better!" Ty exclaimed and Mady nodded her head, kissing him.

"I wouldn't be here, if I wasn't all better."

"I guess so." Ty whispered, kissing her back. "I'm glad you're back." Ty whispered kissing her again. "The silent car rides have nearly killed me."

"What about English?"

"That too."

"What have we been talking about?"

"Fantasy elements in literary works."

"Are you serious?"

"Yep. So maybe it's a good thing you've been sick."

"Probably." Mady sighed and Ty shrugged his shoulders.

"How about we make a deal right now. You spill some kind of major magical fact that would change the world, or at least or English class, give me a sign and we'll make a run for it. We'll head to Baja or something."

Mady giggled at this idea and shook her head. "I've kept my secret and helped keep the magical world hidden for my whole life, I think that I'll survive a few class discussions."

"But I'm still there, just in case."

"Ok Ty. I'll just grab your hand and squeeze really hard."

"Sounds like a deal." Ty said leaning in and kissing her again before they climbed into his truck and drove to school.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ok, break it up!" Wyatt grumbled at the end of school, as he came upon Mady and Ty making out next to Ty's locker.

"Shut up!" Mady grumbled, barely removing her lips from Ty's.

"Mady we really need to get going." Wyatt said, then clearing his throat loudly behind them.

"I'll see you later." Mady whispered, kissing Ty lightly one more time.

"Yep." Ty replied pulling her close for one more kiss. Mady chuckled and then broke away, following a disgusted Wyatt.

"That was extremely rude." Mady pointed out after a few seconds and Wyatt chuckled at his cousin's comment.

"So is you dating one of my best friends. I like you two better as a just friends anyway. Any chance you'll go back to that."

"No and the only reason you don't like me dating, it because you're friends with Ty."

"Exactly. Wow you are a lot smarter then what most people give you credit for." Wyatt grabbed Mady's hand and yanked her into an empty classroom and then orbed them to magic school.

"You're just sore, because I have a love life and the only people that like you are Savannah's friends."

"Shut up." Wyatt growled and Mady chuckled happily at her victory.

"Mady!" Mady spun on her heel, only to find Paige hurrying towards her.

"Paige!" Mady said happily, being careful to catch herself from calling her Aunt Paige.

"Hey Sweetie! How's it going?" Paige asked, wrapping her arms tightly around Mady.

"Good. Well except for the whole flu thing."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I had to do that. Um, Sweetie I checked you out of your classes today, so we could talk."

"Ok. Wait, did you ask my Mom?"

"Of course and she said just to bring you home when we're done."

"Ok then. Um, I'll see you later Wy. Behave and grow up." Wyatt shook his head and watched Mady go with their aunt, curious obviously at what his cousin and aunt would be talking about.

After orbing out, Paige took Mady to the beach, it was a fairly stormy day and the beach was mostly empty. "Now, I'll admit that I've been watching you and I know that you've been struggling with something, other then the flu. So spill." Paige said, watching as Mady took her own sweet time to settle into the sand and think about what she was going to say.

"I want to ask them all of the questions that have been bugging me for as long as I can remember, but I'm scared that I'll say the wrong thing and…." Mady mumbled looking up at Paige.

Paige settled into the sand with Mady and thought about what had just been said. "I don't think that there's any way to really approach the whole subject, or the right way to say what needs to be said. But I really don't think that they'll care either. They're your parents and they're supposed to answer all your questions, no matter how odd, childish or unrealistic they may seem.

"But I still don't know. How do you ask someone about their own death, how do you ask your parents about death at all?" Mady whispered, she herself having thought about the subject many times herself.

"How do you ask anyone a question on a touchy subject?" Mady looked at her aunt, playing with the piece of wisdom in her mind for a few seconds.

"I-I guess it's just something you do. No matter how hard it is."

"So?"

"I just have to talk to them. Get past all of my fears and know that they won't judge me for my questions?" It was more of a question then an answer and Mady looked to Paige expectantly.

"Exactly Sweetie and don't worry, they won't figure out why you're asking the questions and I'll be here to help you figure it all out."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Paige replied, taking Mady's hand. "Now, let's get you home and out of the cold, last thing we need is for you to get sick."


End file.
